Lessons in Forgiveness
by Maji
Summary: If you want someone else to forgive you...  You must first forgive yourself.  A humbled Chick Hicks takes care of some unfinished business.  [Tag for Life's lessons.  One Shot.]


Disclaimer: Disney and Pixar own Cars of course. Seth is mine as is Ralph though they make very, very brief appearances in this.

Note: This is a note that probably should have been in the last chapter of Life's Lessons but I honestly forgot about it. Some may have noticed that there were a few characters that were left without answers. To sound cliche... I meant to do that. Truly :) I was just so happy to finally get the last chapter up I kinda forgot to explain it. You see you will be seeing a few one shots like these. Wrapping it up for the other characters. I felt it was better to give them their own little one shots rather than take away from the story any more. But for Stone. The glimpse into Stone's life will be entirely explained with yet another story coming around the bend. Just you wait. Anyway this takes place directly after Life's Lessons. If you have not read Life's Lessons this will probably make little to no sense. Well it might... However, I still strongly suggest reading Life's Lessons first. After all it's Lessons! Rock On ya'll!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was absolutely amazing how hard this was...

Oh it had been easy to drive up here to begin with. The drive to San Antonio Texas had been a long one but not unpleasent. That part had been simple. Max had driven with him along the way. The two chatted on about everything and anything as they had done when things were just starting out. Memories off all those nights that they had been stuck in some cheap motel or another, waiting for the next days race... That was before everyone knew the name of Chick Hicks. Before everyone knew him as number two. Before everyone hated him...

He was the one they loved to hate... That feeling wasn't pleasant. Even though Max pointed out there was always at least one... He had brought it on himself... All those years of cheating to get ahead. Bending the rules until they were ready to snap... Then he had almost killed The King. He flinched briefly and heaved out a deep sigh.

It had been weeks since his unexpected stay in Radiator Springs. That feeling of unease hadn't let up since leaving the destruction that was that little town. The memories were a haze now. Barely present. He couldn't say for certain what happened. Couldn't reflect on conversations because they simply seemed blurred... Somehow he knew he had talked to his father. He knew that he had seen some things that were absolutely horrifying.

More bazar he felt at ease. Felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from him. Felt better than he had in years as a matter of fact... He wasn't entirely sure what happened in that town but for odd dreams that plagued him in the middle of the night since those days of the unexpected stay. As if Pete breaking down not far from the town where his arch rival happened to live was not the worst thing that could have happened... He even felt at ease with Lightning... Had caught himself chatting to him like an old friend just before he and Pete had finally left the town, leaving the citizens to rebuild. Had even been drawn to leave a fairly good sum of finances to help with the project though it had been dropped off anonymously.

He felt at ease with his father... That shocked him among all. There were dreams about him... Dreams about his father, though far from the nightmares that had once plagued his mind. For the first time in his life he felt he could simply forgive him... Love his father for who he had once been and not for what he had become after the birth of his last son. He felt he had settled things... Was almost certain he had spoken to him. That was all he needed. He forgave his father. Little else mattered. The events that had led up to it didn't matter. He had settled things with Ralph Hicks.

He even felt he could forgive himself...

Though among these pleasant feelings of ease... There were darker ones. Among all the realization that he had turned into the vehicle he had once hated. He had forgiven his father for being that vehicle. He knew he had... Now he needed to forgive himself for that same fault. Forgive himself for turning into that monster that the world loved to hate.

Cool breeze swept across the ground, a light flinch pulled from the green stock car. The sudden cool irritated his still blistered hide, the horrible sting playing across his burns. It could have been much worse. He knew that. The heat had been intense enough that most of the tires in Luigi's shop had melted into pools before the side of the shop was blown in under the force of the explosion that had ripped through Flo's café. He had gotten off light...

It was strange all that had happened... It all led him to here... Sitting parked infront of massive gaits... The driveway wound its way up through the trees to a mansion that while massive still somehow managed to keep a certain southern charm. Scrub trees lined the driveway, breaking off into the somewhat desert terrain, letting the deep red of the evening sun play across the open fields.

He decided then and there that there were no actual trees in Texas... Just scrub bushes posing as trees... Still though the appearance of the home was... Comfortable. Despite the size he got the feeling that it had that well lived in, and comfortable feeling that much smaller homes tended to have.

With a sigh Chick shook himself out of this little daze and slowly headed down the driveway, pausing briefly at the mailbox. He almost laughed out loud... Obviously Mrs. Weather's creation. Weathers was written across the top of it, storm clouds decorating the black painted box, a little crown painted on the door of it. He remembered Lynda had been one for arts and crafts way back in the day.

It seemed she still was. He chuckled softly and quietly made his way down the driveway. It had taken everything he had to do this... To come to the home of The King... Max had left him to this... Possibly not even really understanding why he was doing it to begin with. Not that it mattered to Chick. It was something he had to do. Once at the house the driveway circled around in a horse shoe shape, reattaching to the drive at the edge of the 'yard' and heading back out towards the road. Inside of the circle a rock garden had been set up, a chipper little fountain spraying water in the small garden pond.

It was... Peaceful...

Chick made a slight face though he couldn't help but chuckle. Every rock just screamed that Strip lived here. So different from his own apartment in L.A. Hell he didn't even have a yard. Just a few plants on the roof his neighbor had talked him into tending. Half the time he wasn't even the one to care for them. His neighbor did. An elderly little car who for whatever reasons absolutely adored Chick. As she said through the good times and the bad she was his biggest fan because she had to live with him.

The very thought pulled a chuckle from him.

He was staring at the house. He knew it... He should get moving. Slowly he approached the front door. Briefly he lifted a tire, fully intending to ring the bell... Knock... Do something... What happened was that he simply froze. He wasn't ready to face the King. Wasn't ready to face up to what he had done. Wasn't ready to forgive himself and certainly wasn't ready to ask for forgiveness. The realization was a harsh one. He wasn't ready.

He gave a slight shiver as the wind whipped its way across the burns across his side once more. No he definitely wasn't ready... With a heavy sigh he silently set on the doorstep the real reason for his trek 'cross country. The Piston Cup. It wasn't his... Never had been. He didn't want it. Not anymore. Maybe when he could win the thing without cheating the victory would be sweeter. As it was, he didn't want this thing.

He silently set the cup on the doorstep and backed off. Chick's name was etched across it. There was no doubt that The King would know where it came from. He didn't exactly care. Let him think what he wanted to right about now... He wasn't ready to ask forgiveness. Not when he couldn't forgive himself.

Slowly he backed down the door way ramp and back into the horseshoe drive. From there he gunned his engine and took off down the driveway, ready to be out of there. Out of the reminder of his current state...

Behind him he heard the door click open. He never slowed down.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Strip couldn't help but blink at the stock car's retreating form. Watched until he turned right at the end of the drive onto the highway and disappeared around the far bend. Now what had brought all this on? It had been a surprise to look out his kitchen window and see Chick Hicks staring at his house. More than a surprise... It had been a true shocker.

When Chick had suddenly moved towards the house Strip had moved himself to the front door. Though by the time he opened it the car was already hurrying away. Concerned frown crossed Strip's grill. He knew the car had lost his father a while back... Had been present for that rather interesting dedication to his father's memory at the Radiator Springs racing museum.

Had the car finally lost it?

He silently cast his gaze downward, somewhat setting back at what had been left on the doorstep. The Piston Cup sat silently on the mat... The name Chick Hicks and the date carved into the base.

Now he truly was worried. He quickly picked up the Cup, and tucked it away within' his trunk before pulling inside. "Lynda I'm going into town!" He called, into the house. He heard her yell out an 'ok', before he would pull out onto the porch himself, slight shiver given as the night air crept in. The day had been blazing hot, but the evening sun was pulling in a cool breeze.

He shifted into drive and quickly pulled out the way he had spotted Chick heading. At the end of the drive he took a right and gunned it. Maybe he could catch up. It depended on how fast Chick was booking it he supposed... It also depended on weather or not Chick had turned off the main highway.

He didn't think he would have. The only thing out this way was farms and the occasional community of housing projects.

Unless Chick happened to know someone in the area his guess was that he would remain on the main road until they pulled into the suburb of San Antonio. On the straight away of the highway he opened up his engine and roared down the road as he would have at the races. It wasn't something he normally did. No use tempting the police to try and pick up an old ex racer.

As it was... Fate wasn't with him today... He heard the sirens first... A glance behind him confirmed what he already knew. Red and blue lights flashed in his rearview mirrors. He groaned softly and silently pulled to the side of the road. Ahead of him the first glimpses of a green fender disappeared in the dying light.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He rather liked the place... Chick silently let his gaze cast slowly around the little dinner he had come into. It was set up to look like a western saloon for the tourists, but from what he had already figured out they served damn fine oil. Probably local stuff.

The place was as theamed as it could get. "You know I like the oil but the decor is more than a little tacky."

"I don't know Max, I kinda like it." Chick responded to his crew chief, his attention slowly sliding across the walls. They were plastered with newspaper clippings and wanted posters from the days of the 'old west'. Their history was just a bit blurred he felt, but to each his own. Quite a few artifacts that had been dug up from sites before the time of car kind. Strange looking objects he couldn't really identify. More than one gun was displayed, along with the heads of dead stuffed animals... A cow here, a deer there... It was a little morbid but it was... Comfortable...

"Oh come on Chick this place is morbid. I mean look at it... Half of his stuff is way out there... I mean look at that." He commented gesturing to an odd looking object that looked like a table, but way to low, the legs close together in an almost perfect square, and for whatever reasons the back of it came up several feet off the flat plane. About midway up the back it broke off, and stretched out around the sides, only one side of it devoid of these bared sides.

"Scientists call that a chair I think..." Chick mused softly. Max only rolled his eyes at his friend.

"Yeah... Next you'll be telling me that there really is a Yeti, there really is an Area 51, and car kind was born off of a creation made by hemans." Max commented, making a face at his friend.

"I think they call them humans. Not hemans." Chick offered, though that only gained a sour look from his friend.

"Call them what you want Chick it's insane and you know... Hello... What's this?"

Chick blinked and silently twisted around to glance in the direction his friend was looking and froze in shock. Strip Weathers nudged his way in the door and took a slow glance around. He almost didn't recognize him without his sponsorship logos. The Dinoco sticker was gone, his paint having been refinished into a smooth natural blue. However, his tail fin was impossible not to know. Not many cars had a fin like that...

Chick ducked down, but it was to late. Strip spotted him and made his way over.

"Looks like you've got company. I think I'm gonna head back to the hotel." Max stated with a smirk and cheerfully left the table, a light nod of greeting given to Strip as they passed. Chick choked out a protest but it was to late. Max was gone... The King was here... Wonderful...

"Chick..." Strip slowly drew out, his eyes narrowing a bit as he studied his rival.

"Strip..." Chick drew out himself, silently watching the ex racer.

"Mind if I park?" Strip questioned after a moment gaining a slow nod from Chick.

"Free country Strip, I can't stop ya if you want to." Strip only nodded, holding back any further comment as he slid into the spot vacated by Max.

A heavy and uncomfortable silence fell over the two. Like a fog...

"So... You hear about what happened to that place Radiator Springs?" Strip questioned after a time, trying to make small talk with his ex rival.

"Yeah... I was there actually." That brought on a startled blink from Strip as he stared at the racer.

"You were there? What happened?" Chick gave a brief smile and shrugged on his shocks. "Can't remember most of it actually... Pete got into some bad fuel on the road. We stopped in Radiator Springs so he could get himself fixed up. From there I actually can't remember much. Flo's café exploded... Some strange things happened..."

Strip nodded, the old car silently taking in Chick's form. Now that he really looked at him, he could see the burning around his frame. Slowly healing but still very much evident.

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Not badly... Sheriff was thrown around a little. I have some burns, and the others mostly smoke in their filters. Everyone got out of it ok though."

"That McQueen kid gonna miss the first of the season then?"

"They said he might miss the first few races of the season but he's actually gonna make the season."

Strip nodded thoughtfully on that. "He's gonna have to move his gears if he wants to keep in the game then."

Chick could only nod in response, falling rather comfortably into racing talk. It almost reminded him of when they were younger. Before the rivalry started. They could sit for hours in a bar and talk about racing and stats and whatever else popped up about the business they were in. Now that they would never race each other again... It almost fell into that...

"Chick... I never got to say it. I was very sorry to hear about your father... He was..." Strip struggled for a moment, seeming to be searching for the right words.

"He was an ass." Chick offered, a smirk crossing his grill.

Strip winced and could only quietly nod.

"It's alright Strip. I know what my father was. He was an ass. He was mean on a good day. He was cruel on the track. He was a tyrant to his kids... I don't care anymore. I love my Dad and I forgive him." Chick offered with a shrug.

Strip chuckled softly, a smile crossing his grill. "A new revelation for you?"

"Call it a near death experience gone twisted." Chick commented, a soft chuckle let out.

"Yeah... Listen Chick I know you were at my home this afternoon."

Chick only nodded to that. "Figured you did..."

"Found the cup..."

"That's good. Was hoping you would get it out of the weather soon..."

"It's not mine to take Chick."

At that Chick only glared at him.

"Yeah it is."

"Chick think about it... If you hadn't bumped me I would have come in second. I wasn't going to win that race."

"I certainly don't deserve it Strip."

Strip smiled slowly, seeming to regard the younger car for a moment. "You're really sorry about that aren't you?" He questioned slowly.

Chick let out a heavy sigh and shrugged. "I don't want to be my father. Yet that's exactly who I am... So you tell me."

Strip gave a slow shrug, considering that for a long moment. "You know I never got along with my father. He wanted me to be a lawyer. I wanted to be a race car. He said it was a pointless job, that would have me going around in circles my entire career."

Chick let out a snort of laughter, that caused Strip to smirk at him. "He always was one for a bad pun..."

"Chick... I was angry at first about that race." Strip admitted after a moment, causing Chick to nod slowly. "Then I started thinkin'... What if I had bumped you?"

"I would have swerved towards the wall. Might have even gotten it worse than you did." Chick mused with a shrug.

"Do you think anyone would have felt sorry for you?" Chick winced and gave a shake of his grill. That stung, but no... They wouldn't have.

"The only people that would have possibly... My brother and sister maybe... My crew..."

"What you did Chick... That was racing. Remember when I did it to you when we were younger? You were laid up for a week."

Chick smiled slowly and nodded. He had gone into another car when they connected. "I remember..."

"Fans are fickle... I was angry at first. Then I started thinkin'... Maybe the better car won that day. The car who knew how to make the race work for him."

"I could have killed you."

"I also could have slid on a wet track. I also could have spun out in a turn. I also could have run into McQueen when he was swerving all over the track before he got his fender in the game. Racing is a dangerous sport... Remember the guy who bumped into Earnhard?"

Chick flinched and gave a slight nod.

"Racing Chick. Nothing but racing. That was an accident. I also know that you didn't mean to push me off the track."

"I just wanted to slow you down." Chick admitted softly.

"Right... I'm the one who over corrected. I'm the one who skidded out. I was just as much at fault for reacting the way that I did as you were for bumping me. If it had happened to any other racer in any other race you would not have gotten the reaction you did. Fans get so emotional over last races..." Strip mused.

Chick laughed softly and nodded. "That they do. I never understood that."

Strip smirked and shrugged. "I felt like I was saying goodbye to old friends when the ambulance doors closed. You know the reporters and fans... Sort of like a chapter closing..."

Chick gave a slow nod and sighed, sinking on his shocks. "I'm sorry Strip. For everything that happened, before and after the race." Chick mused.

Strip nodded quietly and shifted, silently setting the Cup in question on the table.

"I still don't want that." Chick commented.

"Chick..." Strip commented, his voice a low warning that he normally only used when speaking to his kids.

"Don't give me that tone old man. I don't want the thing."

"You won it."

"By doing something that I'm not proud of."

"You still won it."

"By cheating."

"By racing. Didn't we already have this discussion? Wise racer once say. If you cheat and don't get caught you're a hero. If you cheat and get caught you're a jerk. If you don't cheat then you're just an idiot." Strip commented flatly.

"I still don't want it."

"Oh come on Chick." Strip offered with a smirk. "The way McQueen's racing you might not get another one."

"Oh that was low!" Chick yelled out, but a grin had crossed his grill. He was enjoying the banter. Easy banter between himself and an old rival...

"Come on Chick. Just take the thing. It's not mine and I don't want it cluttering up my house." Strip complained softly.

"Oh, what clutter? It's a shiny cup!" Chick commented and chuckled softly, a shake of his grill given.

"You know I think we're two of the most stubborn racers ever to step tire on the track." Strip commented with a smirk.

"I think you're right." Chick had to agree.

"You know... I think I know what to do with this thing..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Lets see... Bills... Bills... Bills... Junk... Hello... What have we here?"

Seth paused in his sifting through the post office bin, slight tilt of his frame given. This was one of the little odd jobs Sheriff had given him as of late. No one in town had an actual address anymore. Once a week their mail was driven in from the next town over and deposited in a bin, in what had been the post office. It was Seth's job to sift through it and get it to everyone. Not exactly a difficult job...

This particular piece of mail though stood out. The package was addressed to Radiator Springs and that was it. He frowned and silently picked it up, pulling out of the office and into the midday sun.

"Hey Doc! What do I do with this thing?" He questioned as he pulled up to where the town doctor and judge had been quietly parked, watching Lightning pull drills under Sarge's instruction.

The old racer blinked for a moment as Seth held the package infront of him. "Hmm... Odd... Open it." He suggested with a shrug. The Mustang shrugged and silently pulled the packaging away, lifting the cup out of the box.

"Wowee! That thing is shiny!" Doc couldn't help but chuckle as Mater pulled up, the sudden activity bringing the rest of the town around as they quietly formed a loose circle around them.

"That's a Piston Cup!" Lightning blurted out as he pulled up along side Doc, the race car tilting a bit on his frame.

"Who's it from?" Doc questioned softly. He was just a bit surprised at this. Piston Cups were not exactly something someone threw around... Alright so he had stored wrenches in his but still...

Seth silently checked the box, and after a moment of searching pulled out a small written note. "Dear Radiator Springs. Neither one of us really deserves this. The only one who truly does is the one who stopped to help an old racer across the finish line for his last race. We felt you all would better know what to do with this. Strip Weathers and Chick Hicks."

Doc blinked in surprise and studied the cup again. "This is the Cup Chick Hicks won at the Piston Cup..." He mused.

That brought on a soft gasp of surprise among those gathered. He had given up that thing?

"Wow... What are we gonna do with it Doc?" Lightning questioned, gaining a shrug from the old racer.

"Way I figure they gave it to you son. What do you want to do with it?" Doc questioned.

"The museum?" Lightning suggested, gaining a smile from Doc.

"The museum it is then kid. Put it back in the box Seth and take it up to the museum."

Seth smiled and gave a nod, silently repacking the Cup and heading off. Lightning let out a soft little whistle and silently went back to his drills as the town went their separate ways once more.

"I'll be damned." Doc commented softly to himself once everyone was gone. It seemed to him... That despite the recent events and oddities... Despite the terror that had gripped the town... It seemed that the events had put some things into motion. Even united a few once rivals. He sighed happily and set back to watching Lightning in his drills. From the side Seth had apparently come back, and was parked on the side of the street, happily calling out encouragement to the race car.

Through it all... Doc was actually happy it had all happened.

Fin


End file.
